Paris Saint-Germain were shocked by a 1-0 loss to Botafogo in the FIFA Club World Cup, ending their six-match winning streak in all competitions.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who assisted both of PSG’s goals in their win over Atlético Madrid, was lively again in the early minutes. He cut inside and curled a shot towards the far post, but goalkeeper John Victor made the save. A few minutes later, he tried again with his left foot but missed just wide.
Botafogo looked dangerous on the counter-attack, with Artur forcing a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma. Then, just before half-time, the Brazilian side took a surprise lead. Another quick break saw the ball fall to Igor Jesus on the edge of the box. After scoring in his last game against Seattle Sounders, he struck the ball confidently. A deflection wrong-footed Donnarumma and sent the shot into the bottom corner. It was the first goal PSG had conceded in four matches.
Both sides had big chances early in the second half. Lucas Beraldo had a close-range header saved by John, and Jefferson Savarino headed straight at Donnarumma shortly after. PSG started to dominate possession, and Bradley Barcola thought he had equalised with a curling shot into the top corner, but it was ruled out for offside.
Despite their pressure, PSG managed just one shot on target in the second half and couldn’t break down the Brazilian defence. Botafogo held on for a fifth straight win in all competitions, one of the most memorable in their history.
The result leaves Group B finely balanced, with Botafogo now ahead of European giants PSG and Atlético Madrid heading into the final group games.
